Automatic control for electric sirens



April s, 1930. M. REULE 1,753,579.-

AUTOMATIC CONTROL FOR ELECTRIC 'SIRENS Filed July 5, 1926 ZZ I f Gttozuul Patented Apr. 8, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE MICHAEL BEULE, F CHARLESTON, ILLINOIS .AUTOMATIC CONTROL FOR ELECTRIC SIRENS Application led July 3,

a circuit and a circuit breaker for effecting discontinuance ofthe operation of the switch after a predetermined cycle of operation, and the invention is directed more especially to the employment of such a combination of circuit controlling devices in connection with a motor driven siren for sounding lire alarms. The general object of the invention is to provide means whereby an alarm mechanism of the class referred to may be set in operation and, in a predetermined cycle of operation, will sound a predetermined number of siren blasts and then cease to function, automatically.

Another object of the invention is to'provide a circuit breaker extremely simple in construction and highly elcient in operation, and to so construct the circuit breaker that the same may be adjusted or reset in the event of improper functioning of any of the electrical devices with which it is associated.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section, illustrating the device embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof, the view illustrating also diagrammatically, the circuit in which the various component parts of the device are interposed.

In the drawings, the siren is indicated in general by the numeral 1 and is illustrated only in a general way as is also the electrlc motor 2 for operating the same, inasmuch as these devices are of the ordinary construction and in themselves do not enter into the present invention, the present invention being concerned solely with the provision of means for controlling the supply of current to the siren motor 2 to elect operationo the siren a predetermined number of times and then effect a discontinuance of the operation, automatically. The means provided for intermittently closing the circuit through the siren motor 2 to intermittently operate the siren comprises an intermittent circuit closer or switch indicated in general by the numeral 1926. serial no. 120,479.

3. This switch comprises a shaft 4 which is rotatably mounted at one end in a suitable bearing 1n a frame 5 and at its other end in a gear case indicated by the numeral 6, and a drum 7 1s mounted upon the said shaft and this drum comprises two sections indicated, one by the numeral 8 and the other by the numeral 9, which are bridged and connected together by insulating strips 10, the sections being individually provided with spokes ory other devices of insulating material, indicated by the numeral 11, supporting the sections upon vthe shaft 4. A contact rin 12 is mounted upon the section 8 of the um and extends circumferentially of one end thereof and is in electrical contact or, in other words, not insulated from this section of the drum, which section is of metal as also the section 9. A similar ring 13 is mounted upon one end of the drum section 9 and directly in contact therewith. The drum also carries, between the rings 12 and 13, a pair of arcuate contacts 14 and 15 which extend approximately two-thirds of the circumference of the drum. A contact brush 16 is mounted upon and insulated from the casing 6 and continuously contacts the ring 12 and a similar brush 17 is secured upon and supported by a bar 18 of insulating material mounted in the frame 5 and engages the contact ring 13. Other contact brushes 19 and 20 are supported by the insulating bar 18 and are respectively positioned to be engaged by the contacts 14 and 15. A conductor wire 21 is connected with the contact brush 16 and to one terminal of a three blade double throw switch 22 which controls the supply of current to the motor 2, which motor 1s of the three phase type. Another vconductor wire 23 is connected with the contact brush 20 and with a binding post 24 of the motor 2, and a third conductor wire 25 is led from the contact brush 17 and connected to another terminal of the switch 22. A conductor wire 26 is led from the third terminal of the switch 22 and connected with lanother binding post 27 of the motor, and a conductor wire 28 is led from the contact brush 19 to the third binding post 29 of the motor 2.

A gear 30 is ixed upon the end of the shaft 4 which extends into the gear casing 6 and this gear meshes with the worm 31 upon a shaft 32 which is rotatably mounted 1n the gear casing and extends at one end beyond the gear casing and has fixed thereon a ulley 33. A belt 34 is trained about the-p ley and about a pulley 35 which is fixed upon the shaft 36 of a motor 37, preferably mounted upon the base of the frame 5. A conductor.-

wire 38 is led from a source of current su ply to one binding post 39 of the motor 37 an another conductor wire 40 is led from the same to be presently explained, the contact disc 46.

has a segment cut from its peripheral portion to provide a notch or recess 47 exposin a.

part of the disc 45. The circuit breaker urther includes a supporting block 48 of insulating material upon which are mounted two contact brushes, 49 and the other by the numeral 50. The brush 49 bears at its free end against'the face of the contact disc 46 at a point so spaced with relation to the center of the disc and the recess 47 as to be at all times in contact with the said disc during the rotation of the disc. The free end of the other contact brush 50, however, engages the faceI ofthe. disc 46 at a point adjacent the periphery thereof and 1n the path of travel of the recessed portion 47 of the disc, so that at a period in the rotation of the contact disc, the recess 47 will assume a position opposite the free end of the contact brush 50 and the brush will then be out of contact with the disc 46. A pinion 51 is lixed upon the outer end of the drum shaft 4 and meshes with the gear 44, and the gear and pinion are so proportioned that the gear will be rotated one complete revolution in four complete revolutions of the drum shaft 4, assuming that, as in the present instance,

the siren is to be operated to sound four successive blasts.

A conductor wire 52 is connected with the other binding post 53y of the motor and leads to the contact brush 49, and the conductor wire 40 heretofore referred to, is led to the other contact brush 50', a snap switch or any other similar type of simple switch 54 being interposed in the wire 40. `A collar 55 isv fixed upon the reduced portion 43 of the shaft 42, and a com ression s ring 56 is fitted onto this portion o the sha and bears at one end resented face one indicated by the numeral against the collar and at its other end against the outer face of the gear 44 so that normallg the` gear 44 is held in position with its hu portion engaging against the shoulder, provided by reducing the shaft 42 and is in mesh.

with the pinion 51. However, should it become necessary to compensate for an overrunning of the drum shaft '4 or any ot er imperfect operation of the motors or the inter` mittent circuit closer, the gear 44 may be -grasped at its-periphery and slid outwardly upon the shaft 42 until disengaged from the pinion 51 and then rotated to a proper osition and then returned to position mes ing with the pinion 51, through the action of the spring 56.

With the parts substantially in the positions shown 1n Figures l1 and 2 ofthe drawings, the apparatus is set in operation by turnin the snap switch 54 to close the. circuit throug the motor 37, the contacts 49 and 50 susl being at this time bridged by the contact disc 46.v The motor will impart rotary motion to the shaft 32 and through the worm 31 and gear 30 to the shaft, `and as this shaft is rotated together' with the drum 7 carried thereby, vthe contacts 14 and 15y will be brought into engagement with the contacts 19 and 20 and the circuit will be closed through the motor 2 and kept closed until the said contacts 14 and 15 pass from engagement with the contacts 19 and 20. If it'were not for the provision of the circuit breaker embodying the invention, the drum 7 would, of course, continue to rotate so long as the motor 37 was suppliedwith current, b ut with the gear 44 and pinion 51. proportioned as above stated, the recess 47 in the disc 46 will, at the end of the fourth vrevolution of the drum 7, be brought toa position oplposite the engaging end of the contact brus 50, and the circuit through the motor 37 will be broken, thus stopping the rotation of the drum 7 and consequently breaking the circuit through the motor 2, the contacts 14 and 15 ybeing at such time clear of the contacts 19 and 20. It will les be understood, of course, that the gear 44 and pinion 51 may be variously proportioned so as to provide for rotation of the contact drum 7 any desired predetermined number of times to effect operation of the siren a corresponding number of times.

It will be evident that in the rotation of the drum 7, the circuit will be closed through the motor 2, in the present instance, four times last blast of the siren is sounded, the contact 130 v brushes 19 and 20 will be opposite the spaces between the ends ofthe respective contacts 14 and 15 and at this time the contact 50 willbe out of contact with the disc 46. In order to again sound the siren, the a paratus is Set in operation by first rotating t e pulley until the contact brushes 19and 20 are out of contact with the contact members 14 and 15 and the ends of the said members are substantially equi-distantly spaced from their respective contact brushes, whereupon the gear 44 is re-y tracted, as previously stated, against the tension of the spring 56, and rotated until the end of the contact brush 50 contacts the said disc immediately at one end of the arcuate or segmental recess 47, whereupon, upon closing the switch 5 4, the a paratus will be again set in operation and wi o erate to automatically give the required num er of blasts from the siren.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is: v

The combination with the drum shaft of an intermittent circuit closer, and a motor for operating the said shaft, of a circuit breaker comprising a shaft, a gear rotatable thereon, a pinion upon the drum shaft meshing with the said gear to impart rotary motion thereto, Y

said gear being movable longitudinally of the shaft upon which it is mounted whereby to be shifted into and out of mesh with the pinion,

- and a spring mounted on the shaft and bearing against the gear for holding the same in i position to mesh with the pinion, a contact disc carried by and insulated from the gear and havingV an interrupted portion,-and contacts in circuit with the motor, one of the contacts engaging the disc in ,the path of movement of the interrupted portion thereof and the other contact engaging the disc at another portion thereof.

In testimony whereof I affix m si ature. MICHAEL REUL L. 5.] 

